Pick Like a Pro: Inside Our 12-Expert Dynasty Startup Mock Draft

 

What happens when you get 12 top dynasty analysts together for a dynasty startup mock draft? 

You learn a lot about dynasty draft strategy, roster-building styles, and player valuations.

The Setup

This was a 16-round dynasty startup mock draft with PPR scoring and the following starting requirements:

• 1 QB
• 2 RBs
• 3 WRs
• 1 TE
• 1 Flex

The Drafters:

• Kevin English, Draft Sharks
• Scott Connor, Destination Devy
• David J. Gautieri, Guru Fantasy World
• Ryan McDowell, Dynasty League Football
• Adam Pfeifer, Draft Sharks
• Jared Smola, Draft Sharks
• Dave Kluge, Footballguys
• Matt Schauf, Draft Sharks
• Garret Price, Dynasty Nerds
• Shane Hallam, Draft Sharks
• Ian Hartitz, Fantasy Life
• David Zach, Dynasty Nerds

Below we'll take a look at the full draft results, examine each team's final roster, and get some thoughts from each participant on how the draft played out.

  

Dynasty Startup Mock Draft Results

 

 

Here's a look at how these rosters stack up in terms of total 3D+ value, our proprietary measure of dynasty value.

You can also see where each team ranks in strength at each position, as well as each team's average age.

   

Dynasty Startup Mock Draft: Team-by-Team Analysis

Below you'll find each team's roster, as well as answers to a couple of questions about their draft.

 

Kevin English, Draft Sharks

Five of your 16 picks were spent on rookies. Talk about how you value rookies vs. vets in startup drafts.

In general, I’m looking to build for the long term. Naturally, that means I’ll have a younger roster.

To counterbalance mid- and late-career players, I’ll look to grab first- or second-year guys with the potential to eventually replace the vets.

You took two Patriots WRs on back-to-back turns with Kyle Williams at the 9.01 and Stefon Diggs at 11.01. Do you foresee the strategy of pairing older and younger players on the same team working well for you?

On Diggs: I felt confident in the talent, depth, and youth of the WRs I chose before Diggs (Chase, McMillan, Waddle, Addison). The veteran might not contribute beyond 2025, but I thought the price was fair in Round 11. If things break right, I think a WR2 season is reachable alongside an ascending Drake Maye.

Williams brings exciting downfield ability inside of a compact frame (5’11, 190 lbs.). He was among the most productive WRs in the country this past season (70-1,198-14) and received solid Round 3 draft capital. New England presents a spot to grow with a young QB, along with a depth chart that’s thin at pass catcher.

 

Scott Connor, Destination Devy

You were the first team to select a QB with Jayden Daniels at the 3.02. Is taking an elite QB early a strategy you typically follow?

Not always. However, year over year, elite QB production is the most projectable and Daniels is entering the prime of his peak production over the next 3-4 years. 

Given it’s a single QB, the scarcity of the position doesn’t exist. But given how many “solid” QBs there are, I don’t value having adequate production here, which is why I prioritized having an advantage. 

Daniels goes at a spot where many of the other assets are good, but largely predicated on your team build, and thus, I built around Daniels and don’t need another QB.

You also were one of the last teams to take a TE in Travis Kelce at 13.02. Should TE be a position to wait on? Do you typically target older TEs late?

This was one of the downfalls of taking an early QB. I committed to not taking an early TE. 

Therefore, Kelce seemed like the best bang for my buck, cheap production bet. I’ll live with what he gives me this year and worry about it later. 

 

David J. Gautieri, Guru Fantasy World

You selected Brock Bowers at 1.03, about eight spots above his ADP. Talk about why you are so high on Bowers long term.

I think Brock Bowers has a real case for 1.02 in 1-QB formats -- even in non-TE-premium leagues. 

He was the greatest TE prospect EVER (averaged 2.64 yards per route for his collegiate career, highest figure for any Round 1 TE).

He also just broke the rookie receptions record (112) for TEs and WRs.

And he’s just 22 years old.

Not to mention -- he just received a significant QB upgrade.

That being said, if I had known Tyler Warren would be there for me at 6.10, I would’ve opted for Malik Nabers, CeeDee Lamb, or Jahmyr Gibbs instead.

You also followed that pick up with rookie Tyler Warren at the 6.10. Describe why taking two young TEs can be a viable dynasty startup strategy.

As I mentioned above, I didn’t love taking 2 TEs in the first 6 rounds, especially in a non-TE-premium format.

Warren was simply a “value” I couldn’t pass up.

The WRs taken ahead of him in that round (Ricky Pearsall, Jerry Jeudy, Josh Downs, Matthew Golden, Chris Godwin) really do not project as blue-chip talents or potential difference-makers. I view them more as WR2/WR3s.

On the other hand, I have Warren ranked as my dynasty TE3. I got him at TE6 in this draft.

Warren has a truly elite ceiling (he broke Brock Bowers’ NCAA single-season yardage record by a TE from a power conference by 400 yards) and I’m banking on being able to trade him for a RB/WR in the 3rd/4th-round range later.

I certainly don’t feel as if Kaleb Johnson should be going ahead of Warren either.

So I felt like the board forced my hand.

  

Ryan McDowell, Dynasty League Football

You selected Travis Hunter at the 2.09 as the first rookie off the board. Talk about why Hunter can be your WR1.

Hunter has been one of the most exciting yet confusing prospects in years. Seemingly all fantasy managers trust the talent as a receiver yet have been uncertain when it comes to how Hunter will be used, offense vs defense. 

Prior to the NFL Draft, I was very much in the camp of avoiding Hunter at his likely expensive cost as a top-3 rookie pick or top-25 startup pick. Landing in Jacksonville with new HC Liam Coen was enough to totally change my view on Hunter. 

Trusting Coen as an offensive mastermind, I quickly became all in on Hunter. I value him as a borderline WR1 in dynasty leagues, making him a solid option in the 2nd round. 

Essentially, I expect the talent to overcome the potential usage on defense along with the presence of Brian Thomas Jr.

You balanced early youth selections with older mid-round veterans like Mike Evans (7.04) and Alvin Kamara (8.09). Describe your strategy in targeting those older players at that point.

Years ago, I labeled the dynasty startup strategy focused on building around youth as a "Productive Struggle." Prior to that, many had called a similar strategy "punting" as managers were willing to give up early dynasty success with a goal building a juggernaut. 

While that was often successful, many were not comfortable with the idea of giving up the first year. I noticed the popularity of overvaluing youth in a dynasty draft resulted in high-scoring veterans becoming massive values. 

My friend Brian Malone, formerly of DLF and Rotoviz, brilliantly tabbed the startup strategy as the Fake Punt: Focusing on high-upside youth early in a draft, paired with safe, veteran starters in the mid-rounds. That has been a nice middle ground for dynasty managers and has really become my favorite way to build a team.

  

Adam Pfeifer, Draft Sharks

You selected rookie D.J. Giddens at the 15.05 after taking Jonathan Taylor in the third round. Do you typically target handcuffs in startups? Is it a viable strategy?

I don't typically go out of my way to select a handcuff in dynasty startups. With Giddens, he happened to be one of my favorite players available at the time. 

And considering how little I addressed the RB position to start the draft, trying to find some lottery tickets late made sense.

You selected rookie Jack Bech at the 8.08, a few rounds above ADP. What excites you about Bech?

Bech is a talented WR with tremendous hands, but the landing spot is rather interesting, too. Jakobi Meyers is on the final year of his deal, and while extension talks have been rumored, he's also approaching age 30. 

The Raiders also made a massive QB upgrade this offseason, adding Geno Smith. Since 2022, Smith has played eight games indoors. In those contests, he is averaging 284.3 passing yards, 2.0 passing TDs, and 22.5 fantasy points per game -- impressive numbers that bode well for Bech.

 

Jared Smola, Draft Sharks

You went with a Hero RB strategy, taking Bijan Robinson at the 1.06 and not addressing RB until the 9th round. Describe how this can be effective in a startup.

RBs are generally bad picks in startup drafts. The position loses dynasty value faster than any other.

So I’ll typically go with a barbell approach at RB in startup drafts: Try to secure a young, elite producer early and then stockpile a mix of still-productive veterans and upside stashes later.

If done correctly, you can build a nice stable of RBs -- both for the short and long term -- without sinking a ton of draft capital into the position.

You were the last team to select a TE, going Mason Taylor at the 14.07. Is it smart to wait on TE in startups?

As always, it depends.

I have no issue spending an early-round pick on young, high-end TEs like Brock Bowers, Trey McBride, Colston Loveland, and Tyler Warren. And older-but-still-productive TEs like Mark Andrews and David Njoku can make sense at the right price.

But TE is generally the lowest priority position for me. If I’m deciding between two guys and one is a TE, I’ll typically break that tie against the TE. 

I’m always willing to punt on the position and take a handful of TEs late in drafts. Outside of the elites at the position, TE tends to be the most volatile position from season to season.

  

Dave Kluge, Footballguys

You drafted the youngest team with an average age of 23.7 years. Talk about how age factors into your strategy in dynasty startups.

While I expected many analysts in here to prioritize youth, I was shocked by the young talent that kept falling into my lap. 

I like to play the board as it falls, and have no qualms about drafting older players if the value is correct. But after my first few rounds (Nacua, Smith-Njigba, Odunze, Egbuka, Loveland, Golden), I realized that even sprinkling in some vets wouldn’t make sense for my build. 

I had committed to a youthful roster, even if that meant not contending in Year 1. When drafting like this, I don’t want players who can’t appreciate in value. I’m not drafting to win. I’m drafting to accrue as much value as possible, with the hope that my team will be unbeatable in two or three years. 

I prioritize young players with good prospect profiles, as evidenced by six of my first seven picks all having first-round draft capital. Age isn’t always a primary factor in my draft strategy. But after the first few picks, it became a priority for the rest of my selections in this draft.

No one will accuse my team of being good in Year 1, but TE and QB are locked in the long term on this build, and a productive struggle will augment production at other positions.

You didn’t select a RB until the eighth, pairing Tyrone Tracy and Cam Skattebo in back-to-back rounds. Is waiting on a RB a main strategy for you in startups? Do you tend to pair RBs on the same team?

There are a few RBs I’m happy to take early: Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Ashton Jeanty. Omarion Hampton was a Round 3 target. 

But with none of them reaching me, the wait was on. With my early-round investments going to young receivers, QBs, and TEs, I had committed to a soft punt on Year 1. 

RBs are volatile and can quickly lose value, and that’s not something I wanted to invest in, given my build strategy. Etienne is the only RB I drafted on the wrong side of the age curve. And if this were a real league, I would try my best to trade him off of training camp hype, a possible trade, or a new location next offseason. 

His production profile, draft capital, and uncertainty create a rare opportunity for an aging player to increase in value. As for pairing Tracy and Skattebo, that’s not a thing I typically strive for. But I have these players tight in my dynasty rankings. And hitting the same backfield twice increased my chances of getting the correct guy.

  

Matt Schauf, Draft Sharks

You stacked Lamar Jackson (3.08) and Zay Flowers (4.05) early. How big a premium do you put on stacking in dynasty startup drafts?

I don't place any premium on stacking. It might break a tie between two players if I already have the other half of a QB-WR1 or QB-TE combo. 

But it's as much coincidence as target. This particular pairing came from locking down a high-level QB at solid value, and then taking a young WR I believe is undervalued over the long term.

Ashton Jeanty was the first rookie selected at 1.08. Do you typically target elite rookies early in startups? Or is Jeanty a special case this year?

Jeanty's a special case. I expect immediate workhorse usage and high-level production, and we like to get in on RBs especially early in dynasty because they wear out quicker. 

I could have easily opted for one of the young WRs who followed my pick in Round 1, but I like the chances of Jeanty differentiating my roster over the next few years. 

Plus, I felt confident I'd be able to build out a WR corps I liked over the ensuing few rounds while comfortably passing over the RB options.

  

Garret Price, Dynasty Nerds

You selected Trey McBride at 2.04 and then T.J. Hockenson at 7.09. Does having two top TEs give you an advantage in dynasty leagues?

In a startup, I’m a big fan of best player available. I want to take the top guy on my board and then make trades later. In this situation I’d likely trade one later on.

You were the last team to take a WR with Jerry Jeudy at 6.04. Do you prefer to wait on WR in startups?

In a perfect world I would have liked to have taken a WR several rounds earlier. However, that value just wasn’t there and I didn’t want to reach for a lower tier player.

  

Shane Hallam, Draft Sharks

You selected Christian McCaffrey at the 3.10, making him the 10th RB drafted. His current ADP is RB15. Why did you take him at that spot? 

I took both of my targets at that turn (McCaffrey and D.J. Moore) a bit ahead of ADP, but they were never going to come back to me in the fifth 

McCaffrey went at the 2.01 in last year’s dynasty startup mock, but aging by another year plus his Achilles issues pushed him down to me at the end of the third. I will gladly take the potential RB1 overall this season here, even at age 29.

It also helped that I took De’Von Achane at the 2.03 and have a younger back to lean on in the future if McCaffrey falls off quicker than expected.

Having both Achane and McCaffrey should set me up to compete for a championship in Year 1, as well, which is always a plus.

You drafted both Drake Maye (8.03) and Dak Prescott (14.03). Did you go in with the strategy of pairing a younger QB with an older one?

I was planning on snatching up Patrick Mahomes in the fifth, but he went one pick before me.

After that, I had a handful of QBs I liked, but Maye was a target due to his youth combined with some rushing potential.

Ideally, I wanted another QB option with Maye in case the offense holds his scoring back a bit, and that led to me taking Dak.

When Dak fell to the 14th round, it felt like great value. It also gives me some time to assess Maye’s scoring potential in his second season.

If both hit, I can play matchups and be happy. If Maye needs another year before becoming an elite fantasy QB, Dak can hold down my starting spot.

Win/win and I didn’t have to use premium picks on either one.  

 

Ian Hartitz, Fantasy Life

You were the last team to take a starting QB with Bo Nix at 11.11. Is waiting at QB the best strategy in startups?

As always, it all depends. That said, I do think there's something to the barbell/first-or-last approach at the position. Obviously, the dual-threat aliens at the top deserve to go sooner rather than later,. But getting Nix at the end of Round 11 is a nice deal with guys like Brock Purdy and Caleb Williams going in Round 7. 

I also managed to double dip and get Baker Mayfield in Round 13.

Maybe we look back in a year and realize I struck out with my two picks; either way, I do prefer getting two (later) shots at the mid-tier talents as opposed to reaching on a particular option inside the top-eight rounds when so many great playmakers are still on the board..

You drafted the oldest team with an average age of 26.6 years. Talk about how age factors into your strategy in dynasty startups.

Wild but true: It's legal to try to build an instant contender in a dynasty startup! Now, some level of restraint should be made here, but I do believe that stud veterans are sometimes undervalued with everyone always chasing the next big young'n. 

So while my team is overall old, there are plenty of staples in place: Brian Thomas Jr. and Ladd McConkey look poised to hold down the WR room for quite some time, so I felt comfortable using mid-round picks on Tyreek Hill, Courtland Sutton, and Calvin Ridley in the same range of the draft when younger WR4 types were going off the board. 

As for RB, as we know the lifespan of that position is shorter than any other, so that would be where I would likely be looking to use high-end 2026 draft capital. That said, I wouldn't assume Josh Jacobs, Derrick Henry, and Kenneth Walker will cease to be useful as early as next season.

  

David Zach, Dynasty Nerds

You double-tapped QB in the 7th and 12th with Brock Purdy and J.J. McCarthy. Is this a typical strategy for you in startups? Can waiting on QB be beneficial?

I’ve found value over the decades of waiting on QB if I miss on the elites. QBs in high-scoring environments, even if deemed “non-elite,” can put up the same points as other tier 2 QBs from a fantasy perspective, while also anchoring as a mainstay on my rosters. 

McCarthy unknown makes him undervalued in one the best environments in the NFL. And Purdy is in perhaps in THE best environment with the Niners and just signed a juicy contract. I have a high floor without the premium cost. 

Recent example: in a $250 dynasty league I won back to back years with a QB room of Jared Goff, Purdy, and Aaron Rodgers using the same strategy.

Your first four picks were WRs, and you didn’t take another until the 15.12 (with 7 RBs in between). Describe your approach to balancing the two positions in startups.

I always draft to compete early in dynasty leagues, and this approach was no different. Drafting from the 12 hole meant I could gamble on a premium RB for career output, or lock in every-week starters at WRs for years. 

My lineup at WR will be set each week, with very late-round darts to hopefully fill in any injury or bust gaps. Hitting RBs extremely heavy in the middle rounds is comparable to flock shooting, some will hit, it just ranges on scale. 

I’ve had good historical accuracy hitting on RBs comparable to mid-round WRs as another lean into my strengths. I took plenty of high-range outcome players as well, like R.J. Harvey, Tyjae Spears, and Zach Charbonnet specifically. Mainly this was a play into ‘points above replacement’ for typical starting roster lineup vs positional depth.

Many mocks are hypothetical, but I would happily put skin in the game for this team.

 

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